What is my password useful for?

Your Engineering Department Central Computing System userid
provides access to the Teaching System (e.g. via the DPO terminals).
It also allows access to the central filestore from Windows-based PCs
and to the Web server update facility (both via the Map Network Drive
option). Several research and admin servers make use of the
central password database for authentication and there are a number of planned
enhancements to Departmental facilities which will require users to be
authenticated against their Central Computing System account.

If you think you don't really need an active account and can safely ignore
that pesky password change reminder e-mail then try the following checklist:

Are you an undergraduate?

Do you currently, or are you intending to demonstrate or
supervise a computer based undergraduate course?

Do you need to use the Papercut system to print?

Do you now, or are you likely in the future to maintain a
group web page on www-g?

Do you now, or do you expect to use ftp to or from gate?

Do you now, or do you expect to log in from external sites via
gate?

Do you use computing facilities in any of the following areas:

Division A

Division B (excluding those working in the Nanoscience Centre)

Division F

Whittle Lab

Workshops

If you are a member of staff, will you want to update your Departmental
Web Home Page (http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/~USERID)?

Do you access filespace on cued-fs by
doing Mount Network Drive on your PC?

If you answer "yes" to any of these then you do need an active
Departmental Computing account and you do need to reset your password
when requested to do so.

If you answer "no" to all of them then please contact the DPO Computer Operators
about having your account converted to a placeholder. This will help you and us
because active, unused accounts present a significant security risk.